Excellent Setup For Stereotaxic Surgeries

May 24, 2017

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience
Graduate student

Overall

Performance

Ease-of-Optimization

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Company:

David Kopf Instruments

Product Name:

Model 940 Small Animal Stereotaxic Instrument with Digital Display Console

Catalog Number:

Model 940

The focus of our laboratory is to understand the function of the cerebellum in health and disease. We frequently perform stereotaxic surgeries in mice to inject optogenetic actuators, inject shRNAs against proteins involved in movement disorders, and implant chronic recording and imaging devices.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

Stereotaxic surgeries

Starting Material

Mouse

Protocol Overview

Stereotaxic surgeries must be performed according to your animal protocol. Anesthetize mouse and place on stereotaxic frame. Align head by placing teeth into small hole on the bite bar and inserting ear bars into ears. Make sure that ear bars are pressing on skull enough to keep it secure, but not too hard as to cause damage. Use knobs to manipulate stereotaxic arm to locate bregma. Zero the X, Y, and Z coordinates at bregma. Measure distance to lambda and try to minimize the difference between bregma and lambda in the Z axis. The height of the nose can be adjusted with the knob attached to the bite bar. Once the head is straight, use the sterotaxic arm and digital screen to locate any other points you might need (injection or implant sites, for example).

Tips

Clean and lubricate as needed.

Results Summary

Our laboratory owns two of these setups and performs multiple surgeries on them every day. It is a very good system and enables accurate targeting of injection and recording sites. With frequent use, it requires lubrication.

Features Summary

10 micron resolution in X, Y, and Z directions, arm can be easily swiveled and rotated, easy to read digital screen

DOI or PMID #

N/A

Additional Notes

N/A

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Summary

The Good

Easy to use, durable, and precise setup for stereotaxic surgeries

The Bad

Expensive, the height of the ear bars cannot be adjusted

The Bottom Line

Given the number of surgeries our lab performs and the importance of precision for injections and electrophysiological recordings, it was worth it for our lab to purchase two of these setups. This is probably the best system for stereotaxic surgeries.

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